Additional money was allocated to widen bridges on Reddick Pond Road and Delmont Road and a box culvert on Old Hopkinsville Road when Trigg County’s Fiscal Court met on Monday evening at the Trigg County Courthouse basement.

The extra money that was allocated was part of the monthly bills that the fiscal court pays at its regular meetings, and even with the additional bridge expenses, the court voted unanimously to approve the bills.

The list of bills included change orders for more than $48,000 to Kyler Bridge for the culvert on Old Hopkinsvile Road, almost $20,000 to Contech Construction for the bridge on Delmont Road and more than $18,000 to Contech for the bridge on Reddick Pond Road.

Trigg County Judge-Executive Stan Humphries also added a change order to the tune of more than $31,000 for the same purpose. The money for each bridge widening will come out of a grant given to the county for this purpose, Humphries added.

With the widening, the box culvert on Old Hopkinsville Road will be 24 feet wide, according to the judge executive.

“It is significant in price, but it is necessary,” Humphries said. “ I don’t like the box … culvert that’s been placed there because of its narrow width, and I can’t expect anybody else to like it.”

Trigg County Magistrate Larry Lawrence said he looked at the bridges in question and agreed that they need to be widened. Humphries referred to it as a “safety issue” and an “emergency issue.”

In other actions, the court unanimously approved the treasurer’s settlement for the end of the last fiscal year. Trigg County Treasurer Lucy Oliver went over the settlement, which describes the amount of money the county spent, the amount of money the county had as of July 1 of last year and how much it had left as of June 30, among other information.

According to the document, as of July 1, 2008, the county had a balance of $1.1 million in its General Fund, which had an end balance of more than $1.5 million as of June 30 of this year.

Humphries said it was “a very good year as far as trying to keep the reins on spending.”

The county’s Road Fund had a balance of about $661,000 at the beginning of the fiscal year, and a balance of about $851,000 at the end of the fiscal year. The Jail Fund had a balance of about $52,000 at the beginning of the fiscal year and a balance of about $71,000 at the end of the fiscal year.

The Trigg County Sheriff’s Department’s fund had a balance of $50,000, but it was only included because the fiscal court approved fee pooling for the sheriff’s department at a meeting earlier this year, according to Oliver.

In other business, Humphries, in regard to road maintenance, said he hopes the county can move away from the “chip and seal” method and can utilize more paving if the funding for that works out, as paving lasts longer.

It was also announced that the county’s building and grounds committee will be meeting at 10 a.m. on Thursday at the courthouse basement. Representatives of Bruce Green Construction will be on hand if anyone wants to discuss issues surrounding the construction of the new Trigg County Senior Citizens Center.